Thai Red Beef Curry with Green Beans

Day 10 in the books – woo! This Whole30 thing hasn’t been too bad. We haven’t had the challenge of eating out, so that’s helped. We’ve been trying lots of new recipes and several have been from the Whole30 Cookbook that my sister-in-law got us for Christmas. You know me and cookbooks – love’em.

In fact, when we remodeled our kitchen, the things I wanted most was seating at the island and somewhere to put cookbooks in shelving on one end of the island. Luckily, I got both.

The hardest part about Whole30 has been no alcohol. I’ve adapted well to coconut milk in my coffee and I can’t say I’ve missed sugar. That could be because we’re coming from December where sugar is PLENTIFUL in my house.

The other night as we were eating this meal, hubby said he missed “binging on candy” at night and I offered that I miss having a beer a time or two each week. What’s a Friday without a beer?! 20 more days!

One thing Mark has really taken to is coconut oil and coconut milk. This time last month, he’d be whining about the use of coconut ANYTHING in my cooking. Now? He’s the one buying the coconut milk and truth be told, I think he probably likes it. Especially the whole fat, creamy, rich, canned stuff – divine!

This recipe calls for just that. The coconut flavor is subtle but when reheated, it’s more pronounced – love that. With a simple ingredient list and easy prep, this is my kind of recipe!

Heat the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the beef with salt and pepper and add to hot skillet. Cook until browned on all sides, about 5-6 minutes; transfer to a slow cooker, reserving any fat in the skillet and return to heat.

To the skillet, add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the coconut milk and curry paste; whisking well. Transfer coconut mixture to the crock pot.

Cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 3½ to 3 hours. Add the green beans and stir. Allow to cook for 30 minutes (on low), or until crisp-tender, before serving.